Western Thailand reports brucellosis cases ( 2003-09-10 16:28) (Agencies)
Some 40 people in western Thailand were believed to have been infected with
the bacteria disease brucellosis, local press reported on Wednesday.
The people might have contracted the disease through contact with affected
animals or consuming the animals' contaminated products, said local officials of
the Ratchaburi province, some 80 kilometers west of Bangkok.
The disease had spread in the region since early this month, according to the
report of Bangkok Post.
Animals infected by the disease would suffer miscarriage, while infected
people would have flu symptoms including high temperature, headache pain in the
joints and loss of weight.
Trying to curb the spread, local authority had killed more than 250 infected
animals on 10 farms and were carrying out further tests on livestock.
Thousands of goats were raised in Ratchaburi and blood samples from 3,000
goats had been sent here for test.
There were so far only two confirmed infected persons and the other 40 were
still under observation.
No vaccine was available in Thailand because the disease was rare in the
country. Brucellosis in people is treatable with the use of
antibiotics.
